1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a latching mechanism for latching a slide-out room of mobile living quarters (such as a recreational vehicle) to the main living area when the slide-out room is retracted into the main living area and releasing the room when the room is extended from the main living area.
2. Review of the Prior Art
The width of mobile living quarters, such as recreational vehicles, is limited to that which may be accommodated for travel on the highways. Accordingly, it has become commonplace to provide for so-called slide-out rooms which can be fully retracted into the vehicle for travel, and extended to enlarge the living area inside the vehicle when parked. For example, a common slide out area is in the living room area where a sofa abuts the back wall of the slide-out room. When the room is to be enlarged, the slide-out room together with the sofa projects outwardly to provide an enlarged floor space. Other manufacturers have other areas, such as a sleeping area, which can be enlarged by projecting an auxiliary slide-out room.
Slide-out rooms are normally supported and moved by driving mechanisms including telescoping tubes which are mounted on the frame supporting the main living area and are operated by hydraulic rams or electric motors. Sealing is provided to seal the slide-out room in both the retracted and extended positions, however, the slide-out room is only semi-rigid, and portions of the room farthest from the hydraulic rams or motors may not always engage the room with sufficient force (when in the retracted position) to ensure a satisfactory seal between the room and mobile living quarters. The driving mechanism can be adjusted so that the portion of the room closest to the mechanism (typically the bottom of the room) is drawn firmly against the seals when the room is retracted, but the portion of the room farthest from the rams (typically the top of the room) may deflect sufficiently that the seals are not engaged.
A variety of attempts have been made to rectify this situation. First, some manufacturers have created the slide-out room in a trapezoidal shape, as viewed from the side, such that the leading edge of the slide-out room is the top edge of the back wall. Others have attempted to xe2x80x9cjackxe2x80x9d the lower edge upwardly so as to cause a tilting of the room inwardly at the upper edge. These attempts have not eliminated the problem. Accordingly, it has become customary to use so-called xe2x80x9ctravel locksxe2x80x9d to latch and maintain the upper edge of a slide-out room in a retracted position in firm engagement with the seals around the perimeter of the vehicle opening which receives the room. However, these travel locks must be engaged and disengaged manually. Manual travel locks may be inconvenient to operate because they are generally positioned on the inside of the vehicle on the ceiling. People also forget about the locks, and attempt to move the room out to an extended position with the locks in place, causing damage to any of the locks, the room and the vehicle.
Most manufacturers provide slide-out rooms with a back wall having a peripherally extending lip that projects outwardly in all directions beyond the outer room dimensions such that when the room is in the fully retracted position, the lip is flush with the vehicle side wall. At least one sealing bead is typically provided which extends along the periphery of the lip and becomes compressed between the lip and vehicle side wall when the room is fully retracted. Thus, any latching mechanism which is devised should not violate the integrity of this seal during installation or operation.
The second sealing function is typically provided by a wiper seal which is located on the inwardly facing side and top edges of the room opening defined by the vehicle side wall. The wiper seal flexes against the slide-out room to remove water and debris from the room side walls and ceiling to prevent such water and debris from entering the main living area. This wiper seal also should not be violated or damaged in any way.
Also, since the upper edge of the slide-out room lip tends to tilt outwardly relative to the lower edge when the room is being retracted, a desirable latching mechanism should take into account that during the last several inches of inward travel, the lower edge may lead the upper edge. Thus, to ensure that the lower edge and upper edge firmly seal against the vehicle side wall, the upper edge must continue to travel inwardly after the lower edge has engaged the vehicle side wall. This factor is especially significant if an automatic system is devised which automatically latches the room into place in response only to the room movement, and draws the room firmly into engagement with the associated peripheral sealing.
Finally, as most manufacturers provide multitudes of different slide-out rooms with different sealing arrangements, and since thousands of recreational vehicles exist today with these same problems, it would be advantageous to provide a system which is retrofittable with existing systems.
The present invention provides a latching mechanism for a slide-out room that latches the slide-out room to the vehicle side wall so that the sealing around the periphery of the room is engaged with the vehicle side wall, thereby preventing entry of moisture or other environmental elements into the vehicle. The latching mechanism is responsive to relative movement between the slide-out room and the vehicle side wall to engage the latch as the slide-out room reaches the retracted position. The latching mechanism may also disengage the latch as the slide-out room begins to move away from the retracted position. In this way, the slide-out room may be automatically latched to the main living area when the slide-out room is retracted for travel and automatically unlatched as the room is extended for use.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and the invention better understood by reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.